San Juan, PR vs Chicago, IL
Moving from San Juan to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($350,000 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
San Juan vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in San Juan, PR, you'd need about $94,236 in Chicago, IL (−$5,764).
Livability — San Juan, PR: 56 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,500 sqft in San Juan vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($200 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | San Juan, PR | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $27,192 | +$9,192 |
| Groceries | $5,000 | $5,215 | +$215 |
| Transportation | $2,960 | $3,550 | +$590 |
| Utilities | $2,988 | $4,800 | +$1,812 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $25,160 | $8,051 | −$17,109 |
| Total | $54,288 | $48,988 | −$5,300 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — San Juan, PR: 25.2% · Chicago, IL: 8.1% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | San Juan, PR | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.0 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 13.00% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -5.5% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.69 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $350,000 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 13.0× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $200 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 11.0% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 11.50% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 33.00% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.52% | 2.11% |
| Life expectancy at birth | — | 78.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $5,000 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | — | 8.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | — | 85 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $6,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 91 | 18 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | — | 96% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | — | 63.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | — | 97.1 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,300 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.0 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $5 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $40 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $60 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 350 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 72 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 57.0 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 65% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |
Ad · affiliate links
Find a job in San Juan or Chicago
Openings in each metro, so you can check what your salary actually looks like before you move.